8 out of 10 people worldwide
would use public transport more often if it offered the shortest journey time.
7 out of 10 people worldwide
would be encouraged to use public transport if it were cheaper and more reliable.
73% of people worldwide
would be tempted to switch to public transport for shorter journey times,
60% if it were more reliable
&
63% if it were cheaper.
74% of people worldwide
would be more likely to use public transport if they could look ahead for live service updates (rising to as much as 85% in Paris).
60%
of people worldwide
now use digital services, such as transport planning apps, to plan and book their travel Mobile apps. This percentage rises to 69% among the 18-24 age group.
As demand for public transport increases…
35% of people plan to use public transportation more over the next five years,
compared to projected use of car (17%) and air (6%) travel.
…the pursuit for convenience continues.
Almost half of people surveyed would pay more for added convenience, citing journey times, frequency of services and ease of accessibility as key factors.
78% of people identify overcrowding as the single most off-putting factor to travelling by public transport at peak times.
The same can be said for inter-city travel.
Though 62% of people worldwide choose
63% would opt to switch to
and 75% would switch to
What do passengers really want?
The future is
‘Better Connected’
72% of people claim a ‘better connected’* system would incentivise them to travel by public transport more often.
*A ‘Better Connected’ system would provide easier connections, between transport types, more frequent and faster journeys, clearer information about services with viable alternative routes to cars and reductions in overcrowding and delays.
If you build it, they will come
Japan, Italy and the UK are notable case studies marking a paradigm shift away from cars and planes to high-speed rail services.
Italy has seen a 517% increase in high-speed rail journeys, rising from 6.5 million to 40 million per year.
75% of journeys from Rome-Milan are now done by train.
Case studies
Cityringen metro in Copenhagen
Features:
- Hitachi Rail’s CBTC (Communication-Based Train Control) technology
- 24/7 connection services
- Automated train operations
- Maximum Speed: 100 km/h
![](img/case-study-1@2x.jpg)
San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART)
Features:
- Hitachi Rail’s CBTC (Communication-Based Train Control) technology
- 24/7 connection services
- Replacement of 48-year-old train control system
![](img/case-study-2@2x.jpg)
Key stats
Top 5 barriers to using public transport in 2023
*% of respondents who cited this barrier